Intrigued by the choices that The Distillery offers, and conscious of our duty as local craft-beer gatekeepers, Brew U permanent panelists Tim Rutherford, Cynthia Creighton-Jones and I dropped in last week to check out the buzz.

The interior, which features brick walls, a bevy of flat-screen televisions and a 32-foot-long custom-made bar, made an immediate favorable impression. The oohs and aahs, however, really rang out when we opened the menus and saw the range of beers that were offered.

From Samuel Adams, to Duck Rabbit, to Stone, to Dogfish Head, to Sierra Nevada and Terrapin, top-flight American craft-brewers dominate the selections. There are also many Belgian beers, and our local brewery, Moon River, is also represented: Its Swamp Fox India Pale Ale is one of the draft-beer choices.

Recognizing that we couldn't wade through the 60 or so choices, we each decided to try one of The Distillery's beer flights - an array of five craft beers in 5-ounce glasses.

Cynthia and I each chose the Sunset, which contains samples of Allagash White, Anchor Steam, St. Bernardus Abt. 12, Anchor Porter and Left Hand Milk Stout.

Tim and guest panelist Jake Jacobson, the owner of Azalea Inn and Gardens on East Huntingdon Street and a longtime beer aficionado, went with a Dogfish Head-Stone combination of 60-Minute IPA, Raison D'Etre, Indian Brown Ale, Arrogant Bastard Ale and Oaked Arrogant Bastard Ale.

The comments were universally positive.

"The Stone brews were big and bold, and I particularly liked the complexity of the Oaked Arrogant Bastard," Rutherford said.

Jacobson was of basically the same opinion. The Oaked Arrogant Bastard was "hoppy, but smooth," he said, before rating it the "best of all."

Creighton-Jones was equally enthusiastic about the Left Hand Milk Stout. "It was absolutely delicious," she said.

As we tasted these beers, and enjoyed several items from the menu, The Distillery's proprietor, Michael Volen, talked with us. The building dates back to the 1890s, he said, and was once home to a couple of distilleries, hence its name.

It is much more than just a bar, however, and Volen is proud of his food and the staff that serves it.

"The staff has been to training sessions and seminars led by David Little," said Volen, who moved to Savannah from Maryland.

Many of the menu items - such as Drunken Calamari, Imperial Stout Chili, Fish and Chips, and the IPA Onion Rings Basket - are prepared with beer, and the servers can explain why that improves the flavor, and recommend beers to enjoy with them, Volen said.

The food section of the menu, like its beer counterpart, is several pages long and requires careful attention.

I found my Chicken Tenders basket, which included homemade coleslaw and sweet-potato fries, to be delicious, and at $10 to be a bona fide bargain.

The choices and quality offered by The Distillery have certainly caught Rutherford's attention. He said that he's eaten there seven times since its mid-November opening.

Little has likewise eaten there several times.

"Just because we make our own beers," he said of himself and his fellow homebrewers, "doesn't mean we don't want to drink good ones at other places."

WHAT'S ON DRAFT

The Distillery has a wide range of draft beers. Here's a sample of what it offers:

And, for those who can't decide, they'll pour you a beer flight - five 5-ounce glasses for $15. The Sweet Tooth Flight, for instance, has samples of Abita Purple Haze, Allagash White, Lindeman's Framboise, Left Hand Milk Stout and Original Sin Cider.